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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rule — a law
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — to rob
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mug — a cup
  16. season — in sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. net — for catching
  19. mug — a face
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rule — government

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com